PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Forest Coalition has picked a representative to serve on the Clallam County Trust Lands Advisory Committee, a new panel that will study how the state manages forest trust lands.
The three commissioners today are expected to appoint Toby Thaler to represent environmental groups on the now 15-member ad hoc group.
The committee will consider adding more members when it first meets next month. No date for that meeting has been set.
“I think we’ve got right now a pretty good mix, but if there’s an additional person or two, or organization or two, at the table that would be just fine,” Commissioner Jim McEntire said in a Monday work session.
The Olympic Forest Coalition, a Quilcene-based group that promotes the protection and conservation of Olympic Peninsula forests, initially declined to appoint a representative for the trust lands committee.
Olympic Forest Coalition President Connie Gallant announced in a Sunday email that the group had reconsidered and would appoint Thaler, a coalition board member.
Other committee members represent the Port of Port Angeles, school districts, DNR, junior taxing districts, Society of American Foresters, Clallam County granges, the League of Women Voters, Clallam County Republicans and Democrats, the North Olympic Timber Action Committee, city of Forks and each commissioner district.
Port Angeles City Councilwoman Cherie Kidd told commissioners Monday that if asked to, the city “would be happy to participate in the committee.”
Concerns about the diversity of the committee were relayed to commissioners by Matthew Randazzo, senior advisor to Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, in a Wednesday email.
Randazzo noted that there are several taxing districts and industry representatives at the table but conservation groups like The Nature Conservancy, Forterra and Sustainable Northwest were not contacted.
Commissioners McEntire and Bill Peach agreed that organizations with members on the committee should have some presence in Clallam County, even a local chapter of a national organization.
“My concern on this is that if we continue to make recruiting our priority, we will protract the process,” Peach said.
“I’m not at all opposed to [asking] additional people to participate. I am very interested in having these folks know that we’re treating it seriously.”
Commissioner Mike Chapman said all sides of the political spectrum should be represented on the panel.
“I agree,” McEntire said.
“My only interest in bringing this to the table today was just to make sure that we have the ability rapidly to do a final tweak to the membership list to make sure that we haven’t left a stone unturned for people that need to be at the table.”
McEntire added: “From my standpoint, I want to not delay the start of the committee.”
Chapman said the discussion about the membership of the committee should be the first item on its agenda.
“I think it will be a good test, because if the committee can’t agree on that, I think we know where the committee is going,” Chapman said.
The committee was tasked by the Charter Review Commission to address arrearage, timber that the state Department of Natural Resources was authorized to sell but did not sell in the last decade. DNR manages about 32,500 acres in trust for Clallam County.
The advisory committee will examine the possibility of reconveying forest trust lands back to the county for management.
Some in the forest products industry say arrearage represents a loss of millions of dollars to Clallam County and hundreds of thousands of dollars to junior taxing districts like schools, libraries and fire departments.
DNR officials have said there are many factors that contribute to arrearage, including lawsuits, staff shortages and protections for threatened species like the marbled murrelet.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
